Monday, November 17, 2014

Teaberry Gum - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Teaberry Gum - Wegman's: Cherry Hill, NJ

Here's a little something we were discussing over on Candyology101, Teaberry gum! This retro little candy was really popular in the 1960's, when my mom was born, and she remembered chewing on it as a kid, while I remember seeing it on grocery shelves as a child of the late 80's. It didn't seem super popular at the time, and I don't recall chewing it when I was little, but it's still being produced and carried by a few candy shops and grocery stores today! (Although it's become a little hard to find.) Thankfully I found a pack at Wegman's, so I thought I'd write up a little review for those of you who have never heard of this sweet chewable treat before.

The packaging for Teaberry gum is similar to the Wrigley's packages that 80's and 90's babies grew up with. The outside is a glossy paper, with a pull-string to remove the top of the package, and the sticks of gum inside are wrapped with white paper inside a patterned paper sleeve. Although the colors for this packaging are a bit dated, with the red-orange background and slightly metallic maroon printing, it still does a good job of making this product stand out on the candy shelf. I spotted this right away from across the aisle and made a beeline for it. While I think the design could have used a bit of tweaking back in the day, it's a classic now, and it's best to leave the layout and design as-is.

Inside, the patterned papers are a beautiful bubblegum pink color and they are printed with the brand name and logo for the gum. I was trying to remember the last time I ate a stick of gum that was wrapped in paper, and not plastic of foil, and I think the closest thing that I can remember was Fruitstripe Gum in the late 90's that had papers with temporary tattoos printed on them. (Man, I really want more of that gum. The flavor just doesn't last long enough., but I could have some wicked zebra tattoos.)

Unwrapped, the gum is a pale pink color and it's dusted with a powdery coating to prevent it from sticking to the wrapper.

Although my package was a bit stale, it's most likely been sitting the the shelf for quite some time, the flavoring was very enjoyable.

The name Teaberry might be a bit misleading to some, but this isn't berry flavored at all, it's a sweet and mild form of wintergreen. It's refreshing, and very mildly flavored when you compare it to the chewing gums of today, but it's texture and chew is really enjoyable. This gum is made with real sugar, along with corn syrup, and while it still uses "natural and artificial flavors" like the gums of today, there are no artificial sweeteners! I think the lack of artificial sweeteners is what has made this brand last for so long. Sure, it's no where near as popular as more modern brands, but it's still around and kicking! Plus, even though I am not the biggest fan of wintergreen flavoring, I've been chewing this gum the entire time I have been writing this review because it has such a wonderful texture!

This gum isn't meant for bubbles, although you can still blow a few small and snappy ones, it's texture stays nice and soft, but solid, after being chewed for quite some time. Teaberry has the perfect consistency for chewing gum. (Unlike other gums that either get rock hard and kill your jaw, or the ones that get too soft and start to fall apart.) If you enjoy wintergreen flavored things, you really ought to give this gum a try. It's sweet and mild, so don't expect the mint-iness to be as intense as an Altoid or other modern mint gums on the market, but this is a fantastic chewing gum, and I look forward to chewing away on a few pieces while I work this week. (I don't know about the rest of you, but chewing on gum seems to help me concentrate.)